First pick won’t be Bush

NEW YORK – All NFL drafts have lots of intrigue near the top. This year, the Houston Texans pulled off a shocker.

The Texans signed North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams on Friday night, snubbing Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush for the No. 1 overall selection in one of the most surprising moves in NFL history.

The Southern California tailback was projected as the top pick after he dominated college football last season with his dazzling moves and super speed, but has been embroiled in some controversy this week concerning who paid the rent for a home in which his parents lived, and whether an agent was involved.

Houston had started negotiations with Bush and Williams, and decided to go with the sensational defensive disrupter, who has been described as a cross between Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor. That takes all the suspense out of the start of today’s draft.

But that doesn’t mean all the good story lines are solved.

Will the New Orleans Saints, with expensive free agent Drew Brees solving their quarterbacking woes, take Bush? Or go for the best blocker in this – and perhaps many – drafts, Virginia tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson? Or trade the pick to teams eager to grab prime quarterback prospects Matt Leinart and Vince Young?

“We’re not going to have any comment until (the draft),” Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said.

Is Young, considered more of a long-range prospect than Leinart, really the guy the Tennessee Titans want at No. 3 over Leinart? Are the Titans split over the decision? Does the coaching staff that features offensive coordinator Norm Chow – Leinart’s mentor at USC – prefer the Trojans QB, while owner Bud Adams, a native of Houston who moved the franchise to Nashville, wants to stick it to his former home by grabbing Young, also a Houston native?

What about Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler, whose stock soared during workouts and at the NFL combine? Has he surpassed Leinart or Young – or both – in the minds of some general managers?

Will six Ohio State players get chosen in the opening round, which would tie the record? How many from USC will be first-rounders, and has the Trojans’ red-zone specialist, running back LenDale White, really slipped so far he won’t go in the top 32 picks?

Earlier this week, Bush said he wanted the speculation to be over.

“I can’t wait to get out on the football field,” Bush said. “The seasons go by so quick and it seems like waiting for the draft and the process takes forever. I want to get back to playing football. All of us do. There’s no spring ball because we’re all going to the draft … we’re ready to get back to some football.”

Bush could have violated NCAA rules if an agent was involved in the situation with his parents’ home. He’s adamantly insisted there was no wrongdoing.

•The Buffalo Bills signed free-agent running back Anthony Thomas, a five-year veteran. He rushed for only 92 yards on 43 carries last season when he split time in Dallas and New Orleans. For his career, Thomas has rushed for 3,424 yards on 901 carries.

•The Jacksonville Jaguars at least partly filled a pressing need at linebacker by signing Nick Greisen to a two-year contract. Greisen, an unrestricted free agent who started 12 games for the New York Giants last season, should compete for the starting job left vacant when Akin Ayodele signed with Dallas.